Improvement in mechanisms for forming leather washers



C. T, GRILLEY.

Mechanism for Forming Leather Wash ersL No. 164,445 Patentedlun15, 1875.

Wi: EESE'E of leather.

this washer is pressed into shape.

UNITED STATES PATENT- i0rricn.

CHARLES T. GRILLEY, or BOSTON, nAssncnnsnrrs IMPROVEMENT m M ECHANlSMS, FOR FORMlNG LEATHER wast-lens;-

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 164,445, dated June l5, 1875; application filed.

April 14, 1875; r

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES T. GRILLEY, of Boston, Sufi'olk county,Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Mechanism for Formscrap, or other leather, such as are fully de-, scribed in another application heretofore made 1 and filed by me at the United States Patent Office, and to which reference may be had.

soon destroys the rubber. as heretofore made, have been cut as flat rings from sides of leather, washers of the largest size being first cut, and then from the interiors of such large washers are cut smaller washers down to the smallest washer used.

In this process of cutting washers there is no actual waste of leather, except the pieces from between the peripheries of the large washers and the small pieces punched or cut from the smallest washer. In the manufacture of washers, however, in this way good leather is used in sides, and worth from forty to forty-five cents per pound, and there are always made as many small as large washers. 'It is not, therefore, possible to cut and supply an order for washers of a given size without at the "same time making as many washers of other sizes, and in this way the stock of a washermanufacturer is rendered unnecessarily large,

- making it necessary to hold sizes for which thereis not much demand, and for large washers made to order it is necessary to charge a. price not according to the quantity of leather in the washer, but according to the quantity of leather rendered then unproductive in small washers.

Figure l is a top View of the die in which Fig. 2 is a cross section through the die,-and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section.

A represents the plate to which the female "die B is attached. This die B has an annular passage, 1), for the reception of the annular follower a, resting on a spring, (1, sup'portedat its outer ends on projections e e, the tendency of the spring being to elevate the-follower, as shown in Fig. 3, when not held down by the maledie or plunger f. Within the annular chamber b rises a central core, g, preferably beveled at top, so --that the washer can be easily passed over the core and down onto the follower and into the annular-chamber l, in which the washer is formed. The taper of the core extends below the beveled portion 7:.

Washers as heretofore made for packing T- 'purposes have been made of india-ru'bber and 5 Those of india-rubber are verya expensive, and when they are to come in coni 'tact with oil are objectionable, because the oil Those of leather,

of the female die, so that thejwasher may always have a support about it"sfouter edge before it is at all expanded orst'retched,' as

must be the case to a small extent, when a washer is being formed. v

In the manufacture of this washer,"I first take pieces of leather-such as are commonly thrown away as the waste in the manometure of boots and 'shoesandpass them through a machine adapted to skiveand leave them of substantially even thickness.

Then I prefer to place saidpieces, one edge having been straightened by cutting, against a straight edge or guide, and under-theaction of aknife, which descendsand cutsthe leather into strips of the-desired widthand length, and with ends beveled to allow the end of the strip, when bent into circular form, to meet evenly. The strip of leather, bent into circular shape, is then placed-in a female die, B, and about a core, g, and'a male die, f, then forces the leather t into the femaledie, causing it, by pressure, to assume and retain a circular form,'the edges b b meeting and lapping, if desired. I 1 l Instead of the ends being cut I- m'ay'shouh der the ends, the shoulders lapping and'iit ting, as shown in my application heretofore filed; or I may cut the end on ajb'evel of greater or less length,-and lap -theyends,f as

shown at the'left of Fig.

The washers may be made to presenti as.

wearing-surfaces the outer and inner sides of the leather; but it is evident that v I- may stand the washer forming strip on edge, and bend it then into a circle, preparing..;its. ends in any of the ways indicated, and a leather washer so bent and made willpresent -the lowest degree.

' ee r er o. hez hickness ing way: Before the strips of leather are bent 'into circular .formltheyimayibe, coated with india rubber cement, or other leather-holding mrntwhiel w ll no he i flfi fi bywat under pressure, will be set and fastened. The leather back from the ends may be moistened a little, iii-desired, to facilitate its: molding to s ape. Instead of cutting the leather into strips, as described, it may be formed into. strips in any other suitable way. lipr f rto ma emy w sher f p waste leather, asd seribed b ti s en thatl mig ht purchase go od;- leather and cut it into stripsf the: e red W dth..an;d r y terially .eh eapen; the manufa r o w shers, I couldmanuiacture any desired number .fiSllQlS ofeveu thic n ss an y, and 9f: any ireusizee t ic ne s, a d; need no rred ieeia tithed axe m uyep r t en.u-nsalablewashers aslproduce of washhe desired size, and ,1 need charge only to ve.1a tuala rioa t :of lea-therma so I do .,1. .desirevt li yse 1,to.- th production s f m was ersromwa tel e a on i ri en: n ed eehem. entire y of waste er 1.- einie ahled-tereduee'the cost to the v y thtwill ;be-noticedthat: ywasher is com- 1.. a usuak o a'si gle laye o e W ere.- the end 10 th st p are apped; ha-t poin the-re ds. o the str are hedor' reduced,and arelapped but for a e-. 4 he manufacture o is improved washer a ea ludedt IhfliflQtithfitll a l ashe s are @1 1 il TQ ar e-. one and t is l 1.- ler teet immers -w shers. r us l y r quired: te eethieker than sma l. w sh and the efere:wh n ai ers'e as er is cut from a eide r..=pieee. ct l a-the f th pr p lt i n st the smalle washerslm d f ter Lare: 1 :90 th k 11 6. when used y the pnsumeri avettmb t r-mafle thinner by;handar ew ting'in wa te ftime and .k; :.--Eurtherui0.re,;. the washe s, s us eetzi rein si es-r1 1 hen a no o even thickness, because thethicknessand Qempee ne 'eef sleather var e a d eatsnor ien thesidee and th s w of nifcrni ty m1 ist. 1 11s; the .nias er, s it. is 'inet nraeti ell, tii gth smeh r n d, were. this kiv e' p tical it is apparent {thatjfgreatgloss would re- :sQ tinE-b T ng: aifull; hide;

arid. lmostvaluah e'per ien i h QbQLl Sfi-t. '1 .navtwas erlof nq 1 Janna-r nt: hatiwhen.

metmy me alli or skim the side before cutto uniform .thickdensity will eth r. .eerfagesiwhhhithis5 tar pack meteor;

ie e the W sher-t e t ens Wi lr e latethefldistahce between ,the metallic surfaces,'and the other portion, less dense, will permit the passage of air or liquid, provided the-washer is used to pack a liquid or air joint.

\My improved washer'of waste strips, it will be seen, can be practically made of uniform and of anydesired thickness by skivingand pressure; whereas with other washers -'they are reduced in thickness by hand when being'applied, which is a tedious operation, and. by such hand=cutting the washer is not kept of even thickness.

I have also alluded to the fact that this my improved washer may be made from strips of leather cut from theside or hide; but such a washer would be much more the strips, besides costing so much more than waste leather, would not be of uniformy thickness; and. if such strips were skived to uniform thickness there would result a waste too serious to warrant the profitable manufacture of washers, as compared with their manufacture from waste strips.v

In the use of a washer of not uniform thickness and density in a carriage-wheel, or where it is subjected to frictionbetween sur faces, if one portion of the washer is hard and holds the surfaces apart, whileanother part is soft and does not touch the parts as firmly, the hard part receives the greatest wear, and has atendency to throw an, unequal strain on the axle at the :end; and-in this use of a washer, if. the washer is. of even thickn.ess,;and not of uniform hardness,.the softer portion will wear out before theharder, and cause the wheel to run irregularly and w ie y p The washer t, first bent into substantially annular form, is placed over the .coregton the follower c. The male die f then descends and forces the follower and washer into: the chamber b, compressing the washer intoshape and compacting it, and, if the ends have been cemented, uniting such ends firmly. The male die then rises, and the spring cl elevates, the follower and lifts the washer, so that it can be easily removed and a new one applied.

' Instead of the flat spring d, anyother wellknown class of spring may be used, and other means than the follower 0 might be used-"to remove the washer from the chamber 1, and in such case} the follower and spring might be dispensed with. Theymale die or the female die may be connected with and operated by slide-rods, or in any other well known way suitable to give them motion toward and from each other at the proper intervals of time.

The two members of the die, form Press for consolidating the washers. lit] Having described my. invention, I claim 1. The mechanism for forming leather washerseea ist ng of the. die B, core, andrlunger,

expensive, for

constructed and 0 described.

2. The combination, with the dies and core, of the follower and spring, substantially as perating substantially as ing it in dies under described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my pressure, substantially as name to this specification in the presence of described. f two subscribing witnesses.

3. The process 0 forming leather washers composed of a single layer or thickness of CHARLES GRILLEY' leather, consisting in cutting the strip into Witnesses: the desired length and thickness, then bend- G. W. GREGORY, ,V ing the strip into annular form, and complet- S. B. KIDDER. 

